ma cnaaurrrarowu GUARDIAN

PAGE NINb.

fioorss on topics gQNNIiCTED went

Jsflver Fox Forming

,e oi carer 1.1.; in one‘ tnai. we could itei complacent there were no. - - stuns in me ul - i“ n “ulnuhen the average s; 5;», wnicn when b it 1 czi off, and an aver, w; consisnmg. leaves a 11 net return l0 the rancher. - “won M» tho dccrine has been "“ "as m retail iur sales in the ‘W295... which set in ln New '" "d e Lcohd we:k cf Allgllf-ii 8!"! 7' fitwhw last week. Willi! thc ed September week normally is . ‘ and week for fur sales in New ‘in, past week's figures are t/he u‘, 515cc mld.Au$ll5ii ' States is now Can. ' customer as a rcsult v fin It has suppfianted Great , which prior to th i‘ the bulk of Canada's 1.1944 the United States plu- ' 95 ncr cent of the Canadian on; at a Cost cf approxim. moot), Before the war the M states annually purchasedi l ‘wit. oneJhlrd of the Canadian .‘ m. crop although buyers from . United states made additional ates in the London market. In m, hi; yrnr of the fur farming m in Canada. we had 10,454 ‘i ‘m5 but this number has been ., fly minced lncause of the low ttsior Sliver Fox and the scar. . oi mnt for animal food.

\._...s all ell W‘ n0‘ . owl-ll °". HS “be tnat

b

’ mber 9th. the si-i lsh Yo“ 5315f.“ released the infoi-m- ".. that all importing restrictions . wfurs from every orizin have . ‘removed as of that day, which ‘ .. establishment of complete of the import and export raw skins and the resump. or London fur auctions at the t pbsdble moment which the ,, believes will be early next . The removal of the barriers m, imports in England is ex. w be the long hoped for shot m. o1 the fur trade in Great ‘ do and 1t has already stimulated , tintiwzes especially 5° i“ “s. , m; dormant long.halred furs , wmmed As the news spread a move of the Board of Trade were received from E118. on southern muskrat. oppossurn i, Quirk, but the important, ln. ... wlll be felt when the new 1,. oi fur; will be available for l m, in December

fact that restrictions on the

. of furs into England has been

t. . am not mean that these furs Illlhtavailable to the British buy.

the sale of furs in the Old Country

that there is l. 100 pemht luxury tux in addition to other taxes nhd We have it on the authority of a Y0"!!! man conversant with fur-g who recently arrivtd here frOm likigland fir}: zlogelgemetariiihf or silver Fox

or u w

“o0 in o“ P ards of tilfim out oi the consumer class and means a restricted market, q-hm again the Norwegians and swede; will be as before the war shipping iuifl Iflndfln. as it is the best avsrh able center for distribution to other countries because oi its knowledge p! exchange which it has available.

Then and now... as we look back on the close of the First World War, 1914-19118. there is no similarity in the Silver Fox situation. Then sil_ ver Fox furs were at their peak for in December. 191B. a pelt from the Seal River Fox Farm fetched $1.250 8t Lllmllwn’! sale in London and cpnesppndlnsly good prices were obtained for other pelts. In the fall of 1910 therg was a real boom in Silver Fox. several thousand skins being marketed at exceptionally high prices. We ourselves, sold two which we i rchssed from PEG. Kennedy, for S750. and-MOO respectvely to W Chester .8. MGLUN, and Captain J E Ellis, of Boston. who had foxes farmed with Arthur Burke, sold ten pelts to Mr McLure at an average of $700. To see the dlfferenve you have only got to read the open'ng paragraphs of these notes.

We have great pleasure in Qiving w our readers the closing install- ment of the life of George L. Mor- rison of Mllligsn and Morrison, which appeared in the September Black Fox Magufine of New York. . . "While Morrlsons ekprriments were going on in Aladca, by a strange trick of fate another man, Charles Dalton, a trapper and trader in Prince Edward Island, Canada, had also conceived the idea oi replenish. in: the diminishing raw fur supply by raising silver foxes in cap. tivity. About this time J Edi!!!’ Milllgan made a trip from the Yukon in Alaska. Where he had been ghgaged in the fur trade. back to his old home in thg Maritime Province of Prince Edward Island On his arrival there. he was amazed at the great excitement caused bv the selling. at fantastic prices. pl live silver black foxes for breeding stock by Dalton Further investiga. tion caused him to wnsider the possibility of the domestic cultiva- tion of these animals becoming a definite certainty. ludglnz by the wav it had fired the lmagin-at-"on

public. lf it were so we could .... iii bcorn and really good times

l

d

in the fur industry. The trouble wit}:

uluncy. This places‘

in or in contact with the fur trade. The fact that In uncertarn and dlmlnshing supply of wild furs could be replenished by domestic cultivation oi fur bearers was of ireat promise in itself. But to be able to producg the most precious of all fun, tbs silver black fox, by the will of man was the challenge supreme to the pioneering spirit.

Small wonder. thin, that breeding stock was eagerly sought for and brought enormous prices. It was quite natural for Mliligan to become interesttd in this tradinc pmpos. ltiou. and he bought and sold ioxes and madg money. In 1914. in search of still greater riches from foxes. he travelled to the Pacific coast. In an Alaskan seaport he heard that there was a trader named George Morrison in the interior who for some years had been breedinz silver foxes In the winter of that same year. Milllgan made up his~ mind to see these foxes and started for the Morrison Trading Post. To reach Tanana Valley. sixty miles south of the Arctic Circle. Milllgan had to travel seven hundred miles on snowshoes. A trip of this sort required great physical endurance. but Mllllgan was equal to the task and his efforts were well repaid upon his arrival I-Ie found not only the finest herd oi fmres he had ever seen. but also met the most indus- trious student of fox husbandry he had ever ccme across Their mutual interests developed fast into a bind. ind friendship with the result that the now famous partnership of Mill. igairi and Iifiorrison was founded then and there .

Meantime. the fabulous prices that Charles Dalton was getting for his foxes on Prince Edward Island brought it world.wide publicity, and the new partners decided that it would be wse to move their herd d0Wn there from Alaska. No doubt, Mllligans knowledge of the sltua. tlon was responsible for this move. Before starting out on their trans. continental move. they examined carefully all the foxes on the ranch and selected the fifteen pairs pos- sessing the best breeding possibilities and fur perfection. They took this herd to their new location at Northern. Prince Edward Island, and eventually developed it into one of the finest and largest fox farms in Canada.

The program of this pioneer fox partnership in their new location. called for continued, careful selective breeding of their precious animals Flor six long years they culled out their herd, thus establishing and fixing the characterstlcs which they knew to be the most desirable in their foxes. All animal; not qualified as breeders were pelted and sold at the leading fur markets oi the world. fetching fancy prices Prom a small beginning of fifteen pairs of foxes. in six years these two pioneers had developed one hundred pairs of the finest breeding st/ocfc on any ranch Milllvan and Morrison vrfre

so r-rt-"o rt their ssirU-‘Ss in I151.

-WAY'

in; their strain of silver fox that in later years they made a standing offer of one thousand dollars to any breeder for each red fox pup that would come from any of their strain. DAIBYING ALSO Raw fur prices were such that they were able to pay all the oper. ins expenses and construction costs. and also to purchase several dairy farms. Live stock breeders at heflrt. along With their fox farming they turned their knowledge and skill in dalryins and developed one oi the finest dairy 15mm in cam“ on one of their ranches. including a dairy barn of such Ilhoportons and efficiency as never before had been on Prince Edward Island. A family of dairy mtperts from Holland was imported for the express purpose p! running this particular farm. and the Milligan and Morrison home ranch became definitely established as one of the largest. most modem and most successful farming enter. lrisest on the North American con. nen .

The Difmeerinii era of fox farming was thus ended. and the industry entered a decade of wild promotion and expansion which lasted until about 1930. Fox farms were pro. moted and established all over the northern half of the United States and in all parts of Canada and also in most European countries, Much of the activty of this decade is a black leaf in the history of fur farrrung — not so much because of the then established breeders, but rather because of the unscrupulous live stock promoters who exploited the tremendous public interest in fur farming for flier ovm personal gain without rezard for the Success of the breeding operations which they had engcnd-ered.

It was in this period of rapid ex- pension that the true leadershp of George Morrison and Edgar Mill. Egan was demonstrated. They. too, were instrumental in the cstablish. merit of many new ranches. but it is a pleasure to behold the fine success of the-s.- ncw enterprises. While unscrupulous operators ex. ploited the business for their own quick brulif, Messrs. Mllllgan and Morrison were imbued with a keen sense of the serious responsibility 0f building an industry Their thought ivas to establish ranches on a purely pelt basis, safeguardkrg their efficient and profitable oper. ation by instituting the best meth. cds of ranch management. known at the time It was Mr Nforrisorrs lot to sups-rvre t-he establishment and management of many of the finest ranches in the country. and the outstanding success which ypost. of these farms have attained and maintained throughout the years is the must appropriate monument which could be erected to h's mom. ory.

The serious efforts of pioneer biaredcrs such a< Mikado arr! Mor. v-lson iverp largely rgsvcnsllup for the establishment and m"lc"""“"'~

llaitriotions Lifted oil Insecticides

OTTAWA. Sept. IL-(CP) ._nu restrictions were removed today from agricultural insecticides in- rltldllll the famous DDT, It was announced by A. M. W. Carter of the Agriculture Department.

______. _. o! oxperimental ranches and labor. atorss by the Zuvernmenu or the united States and oanada. one of the most severe tesis ior measur. ing tnc greatness or a man is to de. termine w wnat diegiee he and his works stand the test of time. Mr. Morrison had positive coruidencs in the future of the fur industry, fully realizing that the demand forturs was not a temporary fad, but that their use dates back to lhe beginning of time and will continue as long as clinic and style call for furs which clothe and enhance the beauty of the wearer. He developed and laid down certain rules of ranch management procedure which

this day stand unchallenged — pm. cedures which. if followed closely will assure maximum results, even today. It is also an interesting ob- scrvation to note that the men with whom Mr. Morrison associated are today's leaders of the industry.

His boundlcss confidence in the future and in tho greatness of the fox industry was eloquently ex. pressed by Mr. Morrison in a letter wrtten in January, 192'! This quo. tatlon is equally true today as it was eighteen years ago. It is a ver. itable beacon light to all who are interested in or engaged in fur farming. l-le said, "The Silver Fox industry, conducted along the right lines. and eritered- properly with frst quality foundation stock. ls a lifetime busness with splendid fin. ancial returns. The betterment of the industry at large mav be accom_ plished through educating the be. ginners of today to the high-stand- ards necessary for succes. and the future will take care 0f itself. In this educatori there is no need for uifravagnat claims nor impossible promises Presented under the most conscrvativo terms. the Silver Fox business offers a future not enualled by any other industry today."

The marriage of F0. Al honsz. Keith McNelli, R. C. A. .. to Helen Elizabeth, daughter of Mr. and Mrs.-Jchn Gibson, took place at St. John’s'Church, Fort Qu‘ Appelle. Sask. on Saturday-Sept. 8th. The groom is a son oi A. K. (Ollie) MoNelll, prominent fox rancher of Fort Qu'Appelle, and brother‘ of Wellington McNelll. Southport, P. E. Island. 1'0. Mc- Ncill had a very fine record with the R. C. A. F. and was shot down and reported missing for a con- siderable tlme. but fortunately made his way back to liberty. The Guardian extends its best wishes for happiness and prosperity to Mr. and Mrs. McNeill.

- NEWSY

An Alli-color’: Isle

On the 4th of “eptember an un- welcome visitor made its appelr- ancc in the barnyard and was promptly shot. It was an im- mature American Ctoshlw (Artur atracaplllus), a bird which Fran- cls Baln rightly terms "the terror of the winter woods." There is a brook here. partly sheltered by spruce. and the poultry ramble through the trees seeking water- very convenient indeed, but some- times fatal, for every fall one comes across the remains of a hen killed by goshawka. Once the bird has made a kill it stays around. until Nemesis overtakes .

Reed, in pocket "Bird Guide". lives a very 500d descrip" tion of a young Goshswk. It is “brownish-black, and lighter (brown) edges to the feathers: below whitish, streaked with blackish-brown." To which I add: "tail long. barred; feet yellow- lsh, claws black." The long tail and short wide wings enable these hawks to dodge easily between the trees. and their large size en- ables them to master full-grown fowls. The name Goshawk means goose-hawk but- I have not. u yet. heard of any geese being at- tacked here.

the Goshawk is full- grown. its plumage is different. The prevailing tint is bluish- slate color. darkest on the crown; there is a whitish line over the e e. and the under parts are white, fnely waved with gray. Plumage- changes of this kind are always puzzling to the unateur bird- watcher. but at the same time they make for greater interest in his hobby.

These hawks have good mem- orles and a keen sense of locality and will find their way back to where they have made a kill. usually at sundown or shortly be- fore. Leaving the body to take the attention of the hawk, allows one to get within shotgun range. As a variation we put a spring trap near a young pullet that had been killed in the fall of 1943. and next morning the hawk was in the trap.

t

The Pea Vine

Three or four years ago I cut an item with the above heading. out of s farm paper. It did not say what the name of the “Pea Vine" was. botanically: and that stump- ed me. for local names are rarely satisfactory. I kept the cutting by me however, and now repro- duce a paragraph or two:—

"Private tests have shown that the true peavlne. as well as some of the vetches. are perennial. 1n one known instance peavlne has been cut for hay each season over a period of five years, with no reduction in the yield and with- out rcseedlng. The feeding quality of the hay compares favorably with alfalfa and the clovcrs.

"Whether the season be wet and cold, or hot and dry, this native crop inevitably flourishes." In particularly favorable years peavlne plan-ts have been seen. often, to have grown to the top of an eight-foot spruce tree and back down again to trail on the ground.

"As one old settler recently rc- marked: ‘If these have testing places finally get around to fig- gerin’ that our native peavlne is about the best crop they could grow for downright good feed. then it won't surprise us old timers none. We've known it for years."

It's an old saying that every- thing comes to him who waits. Last spring, a Canadian farmer wrote to the some paper, saying that he had tried vain to purchase peavlne seed at the seed- stores. The editor told him to ask for Lathyrus sylvestrls. "Why". thought I, "I've got that in the garden! I must watch it this summer. It's not native to Can- ada, though."

In 1938 I was on the lookout for an ornamental perennial Lathyrus and wrote to a friend in Devonshire who had a private botanical garden of ‘I00 British

‘NOTES -

"M

‘ Crop Report ‘

WINNIPEG Man. Sept. 14 - Hcuvy rains which o curried 1n most “ of the airie Pro- vinces during the past week have delayed harvesting operations from two to ten days. depending on lo- cality. Rains were heaviest in the eastern half of Manitoba where much crop is lying in swath await- ing the combine atxtording to the weekly crop report nf the Depart- ment of Agriculture of the C8118! dian National Railways.

and readily attracting the eye even of those who are not ordin- arlly interested in Natural His:-

o .

qhe Moth itself I suppose to be our largest ecies. Its tints are loft shades red. gray, and clay yellow; the outer margins of the wings are deeply banded in the same shades; there is a dark cyc- like spot near the tip of each fore-wing; and all four wings have I. lighter crescent-shaped mark near the centre. All the Cecropia, larvae that I've seen, were in orchards;.perhaps apple-trees are their favorite food-plants. I shall be glad to learn whether _ the caterpillar tallied with the crown caterpillar. dggcflpflgn 'glvgn; mo in the summer boarders and the resi- meantime I have stowed the bot- dents were greatly interested in tie’ away in u cool place till next the big brown Woolly Bears. I spring. The cap had already been Wrote t0 Dr. F. M. Cannon, the pierced to give the creature air. Pluvllliiai Elllumfiiflglst. Cill’. and

The moth belongs to the silk- his reply reachcd me simultane- worm family. and another of the cusly With the Enquiry from Snu- breed Salnla cynthia, was import- ris. In it he stated that "the ed from eastern Asia about 80 insects are Salt-marsh caterpil- years ago, in the hope of astab- lars and are more numerous this fishing the silk industry in the U. year than I have seen them for S. A. The snag is that no mach- some time." I hnpe to have furth- ine has yet been invented to un- r-r notes on the Salt-m .h Moth wind the cocoons. It is done by in the near future. hand in the far East, but labor is cheap there. The moth took hold however and is thoroughly at home in the United States.

leaved Plantain. As already stat- ed. they appeared first on the Kale in the garden but they soon deserted it. At that time. when small, they were covered rather sparsely with grayish balk and had little resemblance to t c full- Since both thc

Batons Caterpillars loo!

Noticing that something was playing havoc with leaves of an apple irrc in a corner of the gar-

. went over to invostlzate.

On Sept. 7th there reached m0 " . v-orc coverrd with a packet from Sourls, ecntainin: ' bin-- caterpillars about ar. a large beetle and a brown inch and a half ion"; and nearly “Woolly Bear" caterpillar. Ac- as thick as a lead pencil. When companying the insects was this I disturbed them, their actions letter: "Dear Agricola—Enclcsed gave them away. Thev turned find large beetle which I would brick thclr heads and fore-bodies be interested in having ldcnri- till lhcy ivcra almost parallel to fled, - the rcst cf the body; at the same "In certain parts of the Prov- time claiming the tail end a lnce there is a small plague of little. That, I knew, was the habit light brown caterpillars similar to of Datanna caterpillars. I put a the one enclosed. In some gar- few in a can. and "slapped" the dens they are cleaning bare the tree: the Datnnus dropped to the dahlias, onions. cabbage, eto. and ground. and I rramplczi them well. it is not possible to step on the On examining those in the can l lawn without treading on one. found they had black heads, the The plague is not general at all part next to the heads wag yel- yet. but I thought you might Di: low. and the rest of the bodies interested in hearing a-bout it. was covered with parallel black The affected gardens are towards and yellow longitudinal stflpeg, East Point. Nmv-I knrw that I had the cater-

"Some of the caterpillars are nillnr that lzver becomes the dark brown or a mixture of dark Datana minlstra moth. but the and light brown. They do not a'.- knowledge doesn't help mv poor tack cucumber vines, I notice. but apple-tree! it is strange to sec anything cat onion tops-Yours very truly.~—-"